Tide hires Panthers' Sunseri

TUSCALOOSA - Alabama coach Nick Saban looked to the NFL and
his own coaching tree to find a desired replacement for
former defensive head coach Kevin Steele.

Carolina Panthers defensive line coach Sal Sunseri has
accepted an offer to fill one of two vacancies on
Alabama's coaching staff, a source close to the
situation told The Times on Monday night.

The 49-year-old Sunseri, a former All-American linebacker at
Pittsburgh from 1978-81 and Alabama A&M's defensive
coordinator from 1998-99, is expected to coach linebackers
for the Crimson Tide and receive a higher title, such as
assistant head coach.

Before his Carolina tenure, Sunseri was Saban's
linebackers coach and special teams coordinator during the
2000 season at LSU. He served in the same role in 2001 at
Michigan State for former head coach Bobby Williams, who is
Alabama's current tight ends coach and special teams
coordinator.

Alabama has yet to confirm the hire or announce
Sunseri's duties. Saban was in Mobile on Monday as
practices began for Saturday night's Senior Bowl at
Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Sunseri is the second staff addition Saban has made this
offseason. Ed Marynowitz, 24, has been hired to replace the
departed Tim Davis as Alabama's director of player
personnel.

Marynowitz came to the Crimson Tide from the Miami Dolphins,
where he was a scouting assistant this past season. A former
prep player in Boca Raton, Fla., Marynowitz was a walk-on
quarterback at Central Florida, where he also was hired as a
graduate assistant and in 2007 attained the title of
recruiting administrator.

The two additions leave Saban looking only to fill the spot left vacant by outside linebackers coach Lance Thompson's sudden departure Thursday for the University of Tennessee. Alabama director of player development and former Hoover High School assistant coach Jeremy Pruitt has temporarily been assigned some of Thompson's responsibilities and remains a candidate to replace him on a permanent basis....